Dr. Dowell is involved with SPIERU's engineering project. He develops instruments and procedures to measure the characteristics of wheat and other biological materials using techniques such as near-infrared spectroscopy. Current projects include using NIRS to measure grain traits such as scab damage, wheat hardness, amylose content, protein content, and color class. He also develops automated sorting technology that is used to select kernels with specific traits to enhance the quality of breeding lines. This research is also being applied to identifying insect characteristics such as mosquito species, midge and mosquito age, and honeybee health.